Virtual Tour
Frost Library Virtual Tour
Welcome / Bienvenue
Chapter 2) Washrooms, Cell Phones and Wireless Access
Chapter 3) Circulation and Reference
Chapter 5) Photocopiers and Government Documents
Chapter 6) Reference Books, LPs and Microtexts
Chapter 7) Periodicals and Newspapers
Chapter 1 )Introduction
Welcome to the virtual tour of the Leslie Frost Library at York University’s Glendon Campus.
This tour is divided into separate chapters, which you are welcome to download as individual
segments, or as a complete tour. Each chapter begins with this sound: *bell*, and the end of the
chapter is indicated by the same sound. This means that you may want to pause your player or to
spend more time exploring one area, before moving to the next stop.
To begin the tour, you should be outside the library, unless it is very cold. If it is very cold, please
enter the building, and warm yourself while we go through some historical facts.
The Frost Library, as it’s normally called, is one of York University’s five libraries. The Library was
officially opened along with the Wood Residence, the Power plant, and the York Hall extension on
October 9th, 1963. The library is named after the former Premier of Ontario, Mr. Leslie Frost, who
thought of “libraries as custodians of the written word.”
Frost holds approximately 250,000 items, with about 30% of the collections in French, and 70%
in English. The library has some Spanish language holdings, and is actively building its Spanish
language collection.
Chapter 2) Washrooms, Cell Phones and Wireless Access
Upon entering the Library, you will see the accessible/gender neutral washroom immediately to the right.
You can find a men’s washroom in the basement, just to the left of the staircase. There are two other
washrooms: a women’s washroom and another gender neutral washroom on the second floor.
Cell Phones: You will undoubtedly notice signage in front of you indicating that cell phones are
allowed in the library… but only if they are turned OFF. Please, respect the scholarly nature of the library.
In keeping with this, please turn your phones off for the tour as well, if you have not already done so.
Of course, if you need to make a call, you may do so outside or in the front lobby, where the pay-phones
are located.
Wireless and Computing: The library has access to York University’s wireless network, Air York.
You need have your own portable computer, a valid Passport York ID and password to access the network.
There are library computers for your use throughout the library including a bank of Glendon
Lab computers in the main floor study area. Library computers require a valid Acadlab account.
Glendon computers require a Glendon computing account. Both Acadlab and Glendon accounts
may be obtained by accessing your Passport York Account with the University and activating the
relevant service. Other computers are available as well on the second floor and two in the basement.
If you need to connect to the internet and you are not a York student, talk to one of the staff at either
the Circulation Desk or the Reference Desk, and you can obtain a Guest Account, allowing you access
to the library computers.
Chapter 3) Circulation and Reference Desks
Now walk through the doors, through the security gate, and into the library. Take a moment
to look around. Notice the friendly staff, the light from the windows, the second floor above you,
the artwork on the wall just behind the reference desk. Each person has a different sense of what
is important in a library. Try to locate what is meaningful to you as we move through this tour.
If you have any questions, feel free to pause the tour to ask staff members; the staff is very knowledgeable,
and they are there to help you!
Circulation: Look to the left. There is a large circulation desk. This is where you will sign out library materials
that you wish to borrow. The length of time you may keep items depends on whether you are an undergraduate
student, a graduate student, or a faculty member. Be aware that some items have restrictions on the length of
time you can borrow them for, or whether you can borrow them at all. The circulation desk is where reserve
books, books on hold as well as where books received on Inter-Campus Borrowing (ICB) are held.
Reserves: Reserves, sometimes known as ‘course reserves’ are kept at the circulation desk, too. Reserve items
are set aside by a professor for students in a particular course, so that everyone in that class has access to the
material. These items can be borrowed for a short period of time, anywhere from 2 hours or up to three days,
and they are not renewable.
Returns: On the left side of the desk there are two return slots. These are great if you have books to return.
You can return books from this library as well as Inter Campus Borrowing items to these slots. However,
do not return reserve items to these slots. Instead, for reserves, use the reserve return slot on the right-hand
side of the circulation desk.
Now, turn to the desk with a sign that says “Reference” above it. This is where you will find a Reference Librarian.
Reference: What is reference service? Generally speaking reference librarians answer research
questions, help with research strategies and help library users to locate items necessary for their research.
The reference desk is where you can get help in searching the catalogue, locating journals and journal articles,
and get general guidance in library information. Reference is particularly helpful if you need to locate or are
having trouble locating resources on your topic, or even if you are having trouble identifying a specific topic
from a broad agenda. Mostly, the reference desk tries to help students figure out what materials they need for
their research work, as well as where and how they might locate that information.
Chapter 4) Copy Cards
To the right of the reference desk, against a pillar, stands a black copy card machine.
Copy Cards: To print or photocopy in the library you use your YU card and add value to it.
(Visitors must purchase a card from the machine for $2.00)
To add value to the card, follow the instructions for adding value. Whatever amount you have added will
be put on the flex value. You can add $5, $10, or $20. The added value can be used at both campuses.
Printing: The print station is just beyond the pillar, against the back wall. Print jobs may be sent to it from
any library computer. Black and white printing costs 9 cents/page while colour printing is 25 cents/page.
To pick up a print job, you must enter your Passport York and password.
Photocopiers are found in the government documents area, which we will visit in just a moment.
Photocopying costs 9 cents/page.
Chapter 5) Photocopiers and Government Documents
Now, move past the computers, where diligent students do research and write essays,
and keep walking towards the door to the left of the bottom of the staircase. Walk through
the door, move through a short corridor (notice the elevator just to your left and the pencil
sharpener to your right). You will see the photocopiers amid the shelves. The shelves hold government
documents (often called “Gov Docs” by librarians and library students).
The Frost Library is a selective depository for government documents. There are some duplicate items
with other York libraries, but the Frost Library also collects French language documents. These days,
more and more government documents are being put online, but not all; this collection holds some useful,
historical government information from all levels of Canadian governments and many foreign ones as well
as international organizations.
Group Study Rooms: Along the side of the wall, you will notice two rooms; these are group study rooms.
They can be reserved through an online booking system. These rooms are particularly convenient if you
need to communicate out-loud in a group, but you can also work in the rooms as an individual seeking some
private space.
Chapter 6) Reference Books, LPs, and Microtext
Moving through the government documents to the end of the second group study room, you will see another
hallway out into the lobby. Take this hall, but instead of entering the lobby, take the first door on your right.
Here you are in the reference collections section. At the far end of the room is the reading room, with several
computer terminals and some study carrels. First walk towards the other end of the room: notice the reference
books and the area reserved for new reference items. Reference books do not circulate from the library. They are
usually books you “refer” to and include such things as indexes, dictionaries, encyclopaedias, study guides,
atlases, bibliographies and so on. As you come closer and closer to the other end of the room, you’ll see a large
number of LPs on the back wall.
Recordings: The Frost library has a collection of recordings in LP (long playing) format. What’s an LP?
It’s a record, and since most people don’t have access to record players any more, the library has one
for your listening pleasure in the microtext area. The recordings are of a wide variety of classical music
and literary classics read aloud, for example, Hamlet, or sections of James Joyce’s Finnegan’s Wake.
There are also some jazz items.
Microtext: Microtext is a format for keeping vast amounts of records in a small space. Microform is kind
of like a tiny slideshow all on one reel and it is viewed by using a microfilm or microfiche reader. These
magnify each section, and allow you to ‘scroll through’ the information. This is the format that you are
likely to use when accessing old newspapers, journals and documents. Feel free to take a moment to check
out some of the selections in the different drawers.
At this point, make your way back to the staircase in the main lobby. We’re going to the basement! If you
prefer to use the elevator, remember it is located in the corridor just to the left of the staircase. Otherwise,
you should see a set of stairs leading both upstairs and down. Pause the tour, and we’ll meet again in the basement.
Chapter 7) Periodicals and Newspapers
You should now be in a small area with glass doors and walls, signs indicating ‘Current Periodicals’. Directly
in front of you is a room with one large square table. All around the table are flat shelves with periodicals in
them. There is a globe in the left-hand corner. This is the current periodicals room.
Current Periodicals: Current periodicals are recently published issues of journals. They are called “periodicals”
because, unlike “monographs,” or general books, they are published ‘periodically,’ monthly, quarterly, bi-monthly
and so on.
Let’s move through the room. Open the door, and move past the large table available for reading and working.
You should now exit the periodicals reading room. Turn to your left, and walk through the path in between
the rows and rows of bound journals and books. Once journals are no longer considered “current,”
they are bound together into annual volumes-these are the items you are passing on the left side of the shelves.
Notice the consistency of size and colour! About halfway through the shelves, you’ll notice that the uniform
binding has stopped, and you begin to notice monographs (or books, that is, items that have been published only
once) on your right; the basement houses some of the book collections. The books kept down here have call
numbers (the numbers on the side of the books) from A-J. By now, you’ve probably reached the end of the stacks.
You’ll see a section of tables, and against the back wall, the newspapers.
Newspapers: The Frost Library purchases many newspapers. The newspapers are both French and English
dailies and are international in scope. They are kept for a short while in paper and then are replaced by either
online sources or microforms.
Turn to your right, and move towards the bright windows. You’ll see a row of individual study carrels.They are
explicitly labelled with the library’s food and drink policy: no food is allowed, but you may have bottled water
or a self-contained beverage carrier. Now make your way back to the stairs or elevator and begin the climb
upwards. We’re going to the second floor. Pause the tour and we’ll meet again at the top.
You might want to look at the LC or Library of Congress Classification poster on your way up
or down the stairs.
Chapter 8: Second Floor
At the top of the stairs, you’ll be again at a glass window. To your left there is an opening
which looks out onto the first floor.
Take a peek down. Look at the librarians working, people asking questions, finding sources,
citing them correctly! Scholasticism at its finest! Back through the glass wall, you’ll see a row
of computers and study carrels. Open the door, move through this room, and you’ll find yourself
in the collections, K-Z. As we mentioned before, these letters are the Library of Congress “LC”
classification, which organizes items by subject area, not by author’s name. A summary of the
LC organization can be found on the posters on the staircase.
Instruction Room 207: If you take a library class or general orientation session in the library,
this is where it will be held. This room is also often open for computer use when classes are not
being taught.
Next to the Instruction Room is the Graduate Reading/Study Room.
Library Offices: These are the offices of some of the librarians. They work on policies, collection
development, faculty/student relations, access and information issues, library help to all users, and
much more. If you walk along the corridor overlooking the main floor, you will see yet another room
on the right-hand side.
Rare Books: This room holds the library’s special collections. These are particularly old, valuable, or
books of interest to the Frost library and Glendon history.
Take a moment to peer over the ledge to the bustle (or relaxing atmosphere)
below, and you are done the tour!
Thank you for your interest and attention; all the staff at the library hope you had an informative
and interesting tour. If you have any questions or comments, you are welcome to ask the staff.
Remember, they’re here to assist you in your years of study now and into the future.
Hope to see you here often!
